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A. TEMPLES. Cotton-Press. No. 226,132 Patented Mar. 30, 18 80.

Wmmd W1 Mia/wwwlJNrrEn STATES AMBROSE TEMPLES, OF IRWINTON, GEORGIA.

COTTON-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 226,132, dated March 30, 1880.

Application filed November 20, 1879. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AMBROSE TEMPLEs, of Irwinton, in the county of Wilkinson and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Presses, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in cotton-presses in which eyed griping jaws or pawls adapted to slide upon vertical fixed rods are combined with hand-levers, which are connected to the follower and to the griping-jaws by links, and in which the simultaneous raising and lowering movements of the levers cause the follower to descend in the operation of pressing the bale in the box. In such press the ends of the follower extend through and rise and fall in openings in the ends of the upper press-box, so that when the follower is raised to allow the cotton to be filled in these openings are exposed, and the cotton projects out through them as it is filled in, and has to be shoved back in the box by hand before the follower is brought down; otherwise such protrudin g cotton will strike upon the upper edge of each end of the bale-box and prevent the follower from descending fully into the balebox; and the object of my improvement is to avoid this difiiculty in presses in which the follower is operated by end connecting hand-levers.

Said improvements consist in the combination, with the follower and the slotted fillingbox, of hinged shutters adapted to close the end box slots or openings in the operation of filling the box and to be opened to allow the follower to press the bale without interrupting the operation of the lever-connections with the followerbeam. Supports pivoted at each end of the frame serve, in connection with ropes and a Windlass, to hold the follower-beam in position at the top of the press to allow the box to be filled.

Figure 1 represents a vertical section of a cotton press embracing my improvements; Fig. 2, a side elevation, the hand-levers being removed; and Fig. 3, an end elevation of the same.

The frame-posts are about fourteen feet long, and the press-boxing is adapted to the desired size of the halo. A fixed rod, 0, about two inches in diameter, is secured in the base and to a top cross-piece at each end of and outside of the press-box b, and on these rods the follower (1 operates, being provided with an opening at each end, through which the rods pass.

The follower (1 consists of a beam about nine feet five inches long and about eight inches thick, and a bottom piece, d, about five feet long and twenty-three inches wide, both firmly bolted together, and with the top beam strengthened and braced by two parallel iron straps, f, secured to the top of the beam at each end, and turned over and under its ends, being slightly arched over a middle cross-support on the beam to form girders thereto. The ordinary cleats are placed upon the bottom of the follower to receive the ties for the bale.

The top box, 6, is not wholly closed at its ends, but vertical openings 9 are left, through which the follower ends extend, and which allow of the vertical movements of the follower. These end openings are closed when the follower is raised above the upper box, to allow of the filling of both boxes, by means of shutters h, hinged at one side of each opening, and secured by buttons, as shown in Fig. 3. When the whole depth of the box is filled and ready to press, these doors are opened to allow the follower to pass down. The follower is connected for operation with two hand-levers, z, fifteen feet long, one at each end, extending out in the line of the box, and I use for such connection three links, two short ones and one long one, and two pawls or jaws adapted to slide upon the rods for each lever. One of these short links,j, is hung upon each end of the follower, being held thereon by top pins, 75, and linking under the downward-bent end of the upper eyed pawl or jaw, l, and the other short link, m, is connected in the same manner to the lower eyed pawl or jaw, it, but having its upper end linked over the end of the lever 01, which, for this purpose, is provided with a terminal upward-projectin g hook, 8, while the long link 19 hangs from the end of the follower and is held thereon by the, upward-projecting pins k and by the side of the upper short link. The lower end of this long link embraces the end of the lever outside of the connection therewith of the lower short link, m, and is held in such connection between downwardly-projecting pins n, and thus forms a swinging fulcrum for IOO said lever. The end of the lever is provided with iron straps or plates at its upper and lower sides in which to secure the link-holding pins and terminal lever-hook. The short links j mare about fifteen inches long, and the le ver-link p is about two feet seven inches long, and they are of rod-iron. The follower is worked down to press the bale by raisin g and pulling down both levers simultaneously.

The links and the levers are then removed to allow the follower to be raised to the top of the press to commence the operation of filling and pressing another bale. This raising I effect quickly and in a convenient manner by means of cords t, attached to the top of the follower at points within the framing" and passing over a Windlass, v, mounted in bearings at the top of the frame and operated by a rope, 10, leading from a central pulley, 00, thereon to a winding; lever-post. \Vhen the follower is thus raised it is held in position by means of stop-arms z, pivoted at each end of the frame, and with their upper free ends adapted to pass beneath each end of the follower-beam, as" shown in Fig. 3. Then the follower is raised the levers and their linkconnections can again be readily and quickly applied.

The shutters h extend the full depth of the top box, 0. and are hinged so as to be opened and closed between the fixed rods 0 and the ends of the box 0, and without interference with the griping-j awsortheir connecting-links, and when closed the cotton is filled into the box so that it will not protrude when the shutters are opened.

I claim 1. In a cotton-press, the shutters h, hinged to the slotted ends of the upper filling-box, e, in combination with the followerbeam d, adapted to work through said slotted fillingbox, said hinged shutters being adapted to be closed and fastened to allow the box to be filled, and to be opened to allow said follower to press the bale without interrupting the operation of the link-and-pawl connections of. the levers and their fixed rods, as shown and described.

2. In a cotton-press, the combination, with the follower-beam (1, adapted to work through slots in the ends of the upper filling-box, e, of the pivoted supports 2 at each end of said box, the ropes t t, the windlass Q7, and the rope to, whereby the follower is held secure at each end in the operation of filling the box, as shown and described.

Signed this 2d day of May, 1879.

AMBROSE TEMPLES.

In presence of- WV. B. SMITH, J. WV. LINDSEY. 

